"Without Excuse" - A Message for Today's Church
ZADOK PUBLICATIONS - Dr. C. R. OLIVER
February 1, 2016
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ZADOK PUBLICATIONS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
February 1, 2016 "Without Excuse" A Message for Today's Church Romans 1:18-19
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. NKJV Romans 5:8-11 Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. NKJV Introduction: Romans presents two different perspectives of the wrath of God. The first is the wrath of God upon those who are "without excuse" and how it pours out on an unredeemed world. The second passage is a great statement of faith, based on what Christ has done for us. God's people are not to be subjected to God's wrath. Today, the news media play to the first quadrant, while the pulpit is virtually silent on the view of the second. This newsletter will look at both these realms and draw conclusions from them. Note: One is obliged to read Romans 2 before reading the text of Romans 1, in order to gain perspective. These two passages form a giant parenthesis around the subject of God's justification for administering wrath. Romans 2 joins Romans 1 in sealing the wrath of God on the activities enclosed between them.Romans 2:1-2 Strong's Definitions for Excuse and Inexcusable:Romans 1:20-21 NT:379 anapologetos (an-ap-ol-og'-ay-tos); from NT:1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of NT:626; indefensible: KJV - without an excuse, inexcuseable. NT:626 apologeomai (ap-ol-og-eh'-om-ahee); middle voice from a compound of NT:575 and NT:3056; to give an account (legal plea) of oneself, i.e. exculpate (self): KJV - answer (for self), make defense, excuse (for self), speak for one's self. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.) Should the church excuse the Inexcusable? The church has been on a vast "excusing" theme for the past fifty or so years. Their excuse list grows daily as congregations practice many of the things appropriated to wrath in Romans 1&2. Counseling chambers grind out their progeny of "understood behaviorisms," and their clients walk away exonerated in their behavior. Almost any excuse seems to be a good one these days. The media explore them regularly and talk shows abound with such fodder: "I was abused," "I had a dysfunctional family," "We were deprived," "Prejudice kept me from…" We all have heard their routines and the sympathetic groans from an agreeing audience. There is an answer which is rarely summoned, it is: "Jesus bore your burdens and carried all your sorrows." There comes to mind the words of the Rev. T.D. Jakes in his famous sermon on these subjects, entitled, "Get Over It." He says it is time to grow up from being a coddled congregation. If one's life is impacted by these issues, it is time to drop them before the cross and reach for resurrection. But, an even greater issue rises before us; it is the enumerable number of Indulgences being granted by the modern church. I use this analogy for these Indulgences far exceed those granted by the Apostate Church of the Middle Ages. The Medieval ones were granted by offering large sums of money to line the priest's purses; modern ones are granted for communal approval. Example: Jesse Duplantes recently told of going to a church to preach and when parsing the congregation was shocked. Forty percent raised their hands they were living with someone with whom they were not married. Later in the meeting, he said a knock came on his hotel door. When he opened it, he faced two women sent by the pastor to "minister to him." He was shocked again. He called the pastor and canceled the meeting. Is it any wonder fear reigns as judgment rises on the horizon? What the Bible says is "inexcusable" is almost everything condoned by the modern church and its deranged society. We are fast approaching Fischer and Hawley's premise in their 1940's volume, A few Buttons Missing, where they predicted a time would come when the sane would be tried and committed to incarceration by insane authorities. The insane would then be the approved society. One breeze through Dinesh D'Souza's current book, Stealing America, will prove Fischer and Hawley's prophetic words have now come true. Should this indictment seem unfair and unjust, take a look at Jesus' interaction with the establishment Temple-ites during His earthly ministry. Look into the following passage and marvel how the huge red rubberstamp that reads, "Inexcusable," was glaringly applied. The same orthodox Jewish authorities that condemned Jesus to death were the same ordaining board that empowered an honor graduate from their greatest school of Theology to go and murder and persecute the followers of Jesus. That may be the reason why Romans is so unrelenting.John 15:18-27 As Jesus' ministry unfolded through Galilee, He increasingly condemned the "inexcusable." Jesus' condemnation of Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum is a perfect example: It is these verses which caused Leonard Ravenhill to pen the book, Sodom had no Bible. His premise was simple: Sodom had no point of reference, no book of the Law. Their sin was heinous and every sponsor of that sin today stands under the same penalty as Capernaum, "Inexcusable."Matthew 11:20-24 The Temple-ites had the Torah and the Prophets and the wisdom of ancient Rabbis. Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had synagogues and they had the Law. The previous four hundred years had come and gone since the last Prophet. This gave them ample time to modify truth and compromise the Word. They were the result of four hundred years of establishing what was "right in their own eyes." Jesus came and raised the "standard;" they tore at its base. Where is the church today? Ask Jesse! Where is the church today? Ask Jesus! Let the standard be raised again! Let it be heralded in pulpit and pew until the altars are full and tears replace showmanship! "Condemned by what they condone," the clergy stands "Inexcusable." Listen to the sad entonements of, "this verse really does not mean what you've been taught" or "we believe in a progressive word." It is easier to preach "Every body's OK" than "Hey, let us go no further with this fiasco." Inexcusable Thou art Inexcusable O Roman Church with your Vaticanized debauchery and millenniums of "compromise and corruption." It is time to dismantle your polarized polish and tear away the façade of veneration. A trail of impenitence for inquisitions, burnings and death is Inexcusable, regardless of who declares the Reformation to be at end! Give that reasoning to those cited in Foxes Book of Martyrs or see if it covers the trail of bloodshed by the hands of the Jesuits. Oh, it's also time to dissemble the Assembly and reform their regimes! Those churches birthed from the Reformation need to reform themselves, for their lack of standing by Bible truth is "Inexcusable." More than the need to return to Orthodoxy is a need to return to the mourners bench. Let there be a return to the mind of Christ, whose mind clearly condemned the behavior of the most orthodox clergy and constituency in the world's history. Who could stand immune today? I can hear some now begin to whine, "What is he talking about? This doesn't describe me." Such was the verbatim whine proffered to the prophet Malachi. Hear now the "born again Jew" and graduate from Gamaliel's honor class. Does he hand Indulgences to the ungodly and unrighteous?Malachi 3:7-8 Note, kindly, these verses describe "inexcusable behavior." The huge rubber stamp, "NO EXCUSE," is stamped across its survey. Yet, think of how descriptive of congregations this has become. Yes, media parade most of these sins and glorify most of the them by awarding honors and publicly adoring their profligacy. Society hurries to decry "bigotry," "radicalism," "prejudice," "social incorrectness" or "homophobia" when they encounter opposition.Romans 1:18-32 The last part of Paul's message sums such matters rather succinctly. "Those who practice such things are deserving of death along with those who approve of those who practice them." How hard is this to understand? The wrath of God is coming upon those found in the "inexcusable" camp. I am not sure John Q Public understands the full import of what that kind of "Wrath" really involves. Sodom got an isolated version of it. And it left an imprint on their psyche they would never forget, as the reminder of it lingers to this day. Read Ezekiel's account of that kind of wrath. What Ezekiel chronicled was the wrath of God against the most orthodox of Levites, who worshipped other things and other gods. Ezekiel was shocked by what he saw, as he labored in the camp of the captives. He could hardly fathom what he saw in the vision and realized that what he suffered was the result of the spiritual decisions of those most trusted with truth. "Begin at the House of God" was the command from the Supreme Commander. Ezekiel witnessed the wrath of God and the eventual lifting of the Glory of God from Israel's main place of worship. O' the question of today is "Has the glory gone from us and is the wrath about to take place?"Ezek 8:17-10:2 The wrath of God is much stronger than atomic plundering and deeper than the strongest of current warnings. Remember, the wrath of God fell at Elijah's hand, while standing at the altar before the prophets of Baal. Fire fell and the command to slay every clergyman on the premises was carried out definitively. The wrath of God soaked the earth and every living creature on it, as sin rose and tinged the nostrils of the Most High. Noah witnessed the resulting "wrath of God." The Lord does not need to employ thermo-nuclear war, Isis invasion or the threats of nations for tools. His arsenal of "Wrath" is extremely capable of "taking care of business" and He gets the glory. We need to remind ourselves that He who wrote, "The rulers of nations are brought to nothing" is the same one who wrote the scripture cited above. There is no "wiggle room" with these passages. Our "babified society" relishes bringing excuses to the table and seeing the teachers of Progressivism look at their parental authentication and accept them at face value, in spite of their ridiculous motives. Millenniums I am addressing you. On the Day of Judgment, thundering down the halls of God's justice will be heard, "Inexcusable." There, it won't matter how much societal approval one has garnered. Hollywood, I'm talking to you. Church, I'm talking to you! When King Saul answered the Prophet Samuel's inquiry about sheep blatting and lives spared, he was able to show that being King made no difference-his actions were "without excuse." The same indictment occurred when Samuel wanted to know who carried out sacrifice in his absence. Saul's answer was, "Well, we didn't think you were coming and the delay was interfering with my plans-so, I subbed for you."Romans 2:1 Upon Saul came the big ugly rubber stamp! INEXCUSABLE! When Nathan stood eyeball to eyeball with King David and declared, "Thou art the man," there came that big ugly stamp. As the prophet Samson lay in the lap of Delilah's charms, there came that big ugly stamp. The lion, which towered over the slain prophet who "altered God's plan to fit the hour," witnessed that big ugly stamp. Peter heard the cock crow and there came that big ugly stamp. Ananias and Sapphira stood with the wide eyes of relative truth and there came that big ugly stamp. Look around church, can you see it coming-that big ugly stamp is poised above pulpit and pew! It doesn't have to be this way. The great revivals on this fledgling continent, coupled with the formative years of national identity, carried by the fierce messages of men like Jonathan Edwards (The punishment of the Wicked, unavoidable and inescapable), laid a foundation that has been eroded. The reward for their faithfulness should be greater than is presented as "Christian," today. Two great awakenings, along with the more modern revivals under Finney and Sunday and Graham, bathed this nation with spiritual opportunity that should have sustained its State, but alas, now the State stands "Without Excuse." With a new church raised up on every corner and television and media crowded with preachments, one would think this to be enough to draw a national return to faith and spiritual triumph. Yet, resistance grows toward Christ and His work…Behold the huge rubber stamp! Churches and Seminaries, who teach half doctrines, stand "Without Excuse." Take a look at Atlanta, Georgia's huge National Baptist Seminary and bring up the discussion on Liberation Theology and see what occurs. Communism and radical liberalism is written in stone in their sacred halls; they stand, "Without excuse." A government with its three pronged system, based on a Godly Constitution should have been enough: Now stands Congress, the judicial system and a president, who are, "Without excuse!" Cinematic dogs carrying filth and debauchery into every seam of the modern home stand "Without excuse," regardless of whom they celebrate, honor or pay tribute. "Condemned by what we condone" can be written across businesses and Wall Street, as well as Cathedrals and central governments, for they are without excuse. Inquire of the retail establishments you use, "What organizations do you fund and how much," and see what is the answer. It will surprise you what you support through your patronage. Saints and the Wrath of God:Romans 2:5-11 Saints are never to experience the wrath of God. Wrath is not appointed to us. Pulpits have been silent about this truth. Yet, whom we call "saints" may not measure up to the term, Holiness Ones, either. Biblical sainthood is not defined by councils and tribunes, it's demarcation is the product of Holy living. The church needs to tell a world that they need to be "Saved from the wrath to come!" That is the evangelical note for 2016, for there is not a soul alive who has not personally confronted the possibility of being present at the time of wrath.Romans 5:8-10 The church needs to hear the clear message of Paul. Yes, that is the perfect sermon topic for this next week, "Do not be partakers with them." "Let no man deceive you with empty words." Who stands brave enough to preach this kind of message?Ephesians 5:3-7 Paul is explicit in his message. He is addressing the church, which again needs addressing. Are there those in your "friend" field or family that are described below? I heard one sister say, "If I quoted those passages, my family wouldn't have anything to do with me. They already think I am 'off.'" A brother said, "I tried that and all hell broke loose, and I was ostracized for several years. No, it's better just to be a silent witness."1 Corinthians 5:9-13 Dare we distance ourselves from those of Ezra's time? When the Law was read, they tore their clothes and even went the distance to separate themselves from family, wives and children. They were willing to do anything necessary to cleanse themselves and be a holy people. How far are we willing to go today? The changeless God did not give Paul a "word of irrelevance" for today. Neither did Malachi voice senseless words for an ancient people.1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Jesus took the wrath of God against sin and bore it upon the cross. He was crucified to save His Church from the wrath to come, but it must be a church "without spot or blemish." Salvation is many things to us, as it brings a person into right relationship to God and offers the receiver an intercessor as High Priest. Our spiritual eyes and ears become open to revelation and relationship, as redemptive grace takes us to higher dimensions. We are allowed to know the mind of Christ and relish understanding the viewpoint of heaven. But, we are also redeemed from the wrath to come and not to be identified as those "saved, yet so as through fire."Malachi 3:1-6 If this was the message of a thousand pulpits, preached with the passion of Paul, there would be such a falling away of unbelievable proportion that Monday would be declared a "Day of Astonishment." But, there would be such a shout from heaven that would make an earthquake mild in comparison. Those who remained would know the forgiving, cleansing power of the gospel message burned fresh within them.1 Corinthians 3:11-17 Spurgeon was correct: "On the wings of decline come the seeds of revival." Read Revelation14:9-13; 20:4-6. Until Next month, Dr. Cosby R. Oliver, PhD. |
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